All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy

...which is why I'm doing as much "playing" as possible. Sorry it's been almost a month with no new posts. So much going on...

2 Weeks
For the first time since I left OSU, I was out of the office for 2 solid weeks. I spent a week at a programming (nerd) conference in Dallas. After that, the big guy from Tulsa came down for a week! It was awesome. I could seriously get accustomed to this "not going to work" thing. And since I had my nifty little toy, I never felt out-of-touch or nervous that something was happening at the office I needed to know about. Turns out that everything went fine while I was gone and wasn't missed a bit.

Micah and I had a very relaxing week of running around Houston, getting drunk and watching Firefly.

Obligatory Work Part
I still don't have a boss at work! Man, talk about no stress... But something strange has happened... It appears that I've inherited my boss's clout. Over the past 2 weeks, every time I've said something in a meeting with my boss's old peers, I get taken very seriously. Like 5 minutes ago, I got an email where something I said in a meeting last week got put out as policy and something like 15 people spent about an hour each over the last week or so doing work just because I suggested it in a meeting! It's really cool to know that (for a while) I've got some real influence. I guess that just means that I'll have to be a little more careful about what I say.

Taking to the Sky
Fuck, I'm loving this flying thing. I went up again this afternoon. It's a crapload of work and lots of learning, but it's just freaking awesome. I started this not sure if I was planning on flying on a regular basis, but over the last week, I can't do anything except picture myself with my own airplane. I haven't checked the prices yet, but I might just have to buy one.

Drinking and Driving (but not at the same time)
The weekend after next, I'm driving up to El Reno to hang with some old friends. It's always a good time--more beer than you can shake a stick at (but why would you shake a stick at it if you could be drinking it?), fried-onion burgers and an old shack to sleep in.

Positive Karma
Have you done your duty? You have no excuse not to. Not enough time? Try spending Christmas in a hospital with your kid in a bed--you'll have all the time in the world. Can't squeeze any room out of your Christmas budget for a charity? You're right--screw that kid that just got chemo--a book would just distract him from the harsh life lesson fate is trying to teach him.

Sorry about the guilt-trip there. Just the idea of kids having to be in a hospital gets me going...

Also sorry for ending on a downer. I've really got to get back to my little, self-important life. (actually, there's a large stack of bills that's been collecting on my desk for a while and I want to make sure I'll have electricity tomorrow...) I'll put up something a little more substantial and thought-out soon. (I've got to blog on 'An Inconvenient Truth')

"But I don't even know her"

I was going through my receipts for this year, looking for something when I ran across this receipt. I've always found it interesting how different places can seem, yet be exactly like home...

"It's a bird! It's a plane!" -- Yep, it's a plane.

After spending a lot of time trying to rationalize pursuing a life-long dream, I've finally come to the conclusion that aggressively following a dream is not something to be rationalized. By its nature as a dream, it does not necessarily have a basis in rationale. (yes, I know that's obvious to all of you, but my personality has made it a long process for me to come to terms with this)

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went down to the West Houston Airport and signed-up for private pilot lessons. I can't express how much easier I sleep knowing that I've stopped putting this off.

I'm looking forward to get my actual flying started. I'd start next week, but I'm in Dallas for a conference. The sooner my feet leave the ground, the better!

Next time you're in town, we'll have to go out for a $100 burger.

Nephew

Last weekend I headed back up to Oklahoma quickly to see my new nephew, Mason Cole. He was almost 2 weeks late, and one big boy--10 lbs, 2 oz! (and via a natural birth--my sister is one tough mother!)



And to anyone that doubted my claim that my neice, Ryleigh, is the cutest thing ever, I provide the following:

I am the worst gay man in the world

So, last night, I went out clubbing with some friends. I went with this guy (his boyfriend hates the clubs) and a girl (her husband and the guy's boyfriend went to the game). It was fun and I got a chance to get my white-boy-funk on.

About halfway through the night, we met a friend of the guy we went with. He was cool and we all talked for a while. (as much as you can talk in a club) Later in the night, the girl mentioned her "husband". The friend immediately looked at me and said "so, you're her husband?"

Fuck. I'm dancing in a gay club, all dressed-up in my best clubbing outfit (yes, there are separate wardrobes for going out on the town), and some people still think I'm straight. Next time I'm wearing a sign...

While that makes for a decent anecdote, it wasn't really that bad. I've heard from several other guys that I show up as very low-visibility on gaydar. I'm accustomed to it. (an ex actually made a Freudian slip once and called me "straight")

It wasn't a complete wash. I got lots of looks and definately wouldn't have had to go home alone--if I was into picking people up from clubs.

If you're not pissed, you aren't paying attention.

From H.R. 6166: Miliary Commissions Act of 2006 (as passed by the House)

(e)(1) No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States who has been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination.

(2) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 1005(e) of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (10 U.S.C. 801 note), no court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider any other action against the United States or its agents relating to any aspect of the detention, transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of confinement of an alien who is or was detained by the United States and has been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination.'.

(b) Effective Date- The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall apply to all cases, without exception, pending on or after the date of the enactment of this Act which relate to any aspect of the detention, transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of detention of an alien detained by the United States since September 11, 2001.

Fuck me. So, in plain English, as I understand it, if you are detained by the military as an "enemy combatant" (or if they just think you might be an enemy combatant, but haven't decided yet), you now have no rights to a trial. No rights to hear the charges or evidence against you. You can't plead for a lawyer. A lawyer can't plead to see you. A judge can't even compel the military into confirming that you are even in their jail. You have less rights than a laboratory animal.

If we ever hope to regain the respect of anyone around the world ever again, we have to stop this shit right now.

While Keith Olbermann is about as "fair and balanced" as Bill O'Reilly, he still does a good job explaining what has me so pissed.

No Boss

Yep, starting today, I'm boss-less. My old boss took a job in a different division, and they haven't even started looking for a replacement. So, for a while, I basically don't have a boss. Yes, I report to his old boss, but he's 2 levels above me and probably won't be even mildly interested in my week-to-week work.

Pavor Nocturnus

Do you still have nightmares? I do. They are infrequent, but they still creep around. I had a doozy last night. In retrospect, I'm sure that it was caused by a strange selection of drinks last night.

I was fully awake at about 3:00 AM and immediately turned on the brightest light in the house... Damn I love the adrenaline rush.

This also helps explain my love for all things Halloween. October is finally here. It's starting to cool down and the year's crop of horror flicks are getting press.

The one thing I'm going to try and see is a horror movie festival called "8 Films to Die For". Check out the trailer at Apple's site.

I Find Your Quack of Faith Disturbing

New bathtime fun! It's Duck Fadar! With his multi-color LED's and glowing eyes, he'll help you contemplate how to build another Death Star while making sure you clean that dirt from behind your ears!

"Do you expect me to talk?", "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die."

I'm a James Bond junkie. Like Rick in Casablanca, Bond is the man every man wishes he could be. So it's with great anticipation that I await Casino Royale. Looks like a damn good one. Maybe they'll make up for the last two crap Bond flicks.



View Trailer

Holy Crap, I Have a Blog!

Wow, I completely forgot about this... I've been a slacker again.

Let's see, what's been up:

1) I'm a CrackBerry addict. My nifty little phone gets my email, contacts, calendar and tasks wireless sync'd automatically. It's a lot like having a BlackBerry, but better and geekier. I've become completely dependent on it. I can leave the office early knowing that I'm always in touch (when I want to be). I can punch in a "to-do" task in the elevator and it's synchronized to my computer before I make it back to my desk. But last week, Cingular had some real problems with their Internet connectivity that made me think that functionality was turned off. I was lost without it. It would be like if you came home and your 360 was replaced with a PS2. Yeah, it's still kinda cool, but you can't play any of your games anymore. Damn 360-stealing gnomes.

2) World of Warcraft. If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand. It's as though electrodes slither out of my monitor and attach directly to the pleasure center of my brain.

3) I'm making a call tomorrow and making the last payment on my car. Hell, yeah!

4) I think I've decided that with the bonus check early next year, I'm going to move. I've never really been that happy with the house or the part of of town I live in. I can't really pinpoint what it is about the house--it's just not for me. I think I'm going to move closer to mid-town and maybe buy and older house with some character.

Crappy Fact of the Day:
In 2006, the US Miliary discharges an average of 2 people per day for being gay. The good news is that, as always, The Daily Show's upstanding investigative journalism is shedding light on this subject.



"Intromiss." That's classic. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Tom Waits, Coffee and a Rainy Day

Were there ever 3 things that went better together? It was dark and rainy all day. I think I spent 2 full hours today sitting in my office, looking out the window with coffee in my hand and Tom Waits in my ear. I haven't been that content or relaxed in ages.

WoW, I Haven't Blogged in a While

Yes, I've been sucked into the World of Warcraft metaverse. I held out as long as I could, but eventually succumb. All I can say is: damn, this is a sweet game.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Ethical Dilemma

Ok, so everyone knows I'm an iPod junkie. Lately, it's been podcasts. I get all of my NPR-goodness when and where I want it. But that means that I've been missing music. I've got quite a bit of music on the iPod, but it's mostly the same crap I've been listening to for years.

I really support the idea of the iTunes music store--electronic delivery of exactly what content you want, and you own it. No subscriptions. My gripe is that even though it's generally cheaper than buying CD's, you still pay $.99 per song.

Now, don't get me wrong--I think that's a good deal. If it's good music, I don't have a problem shelling out that kind of money. My problem is that I don't get to explore new music that way. And since everyone else I know around here is digital as well, "CD swapping" just doesn't happen anymore.

My boss at work has been bugging me to use AllOfMP3.com. If you haven't heard of this before, here's the story: it's a Russia-based online music store. It's been around for a while and is only second in online music sales to the iTunes music store. And it's f'in cheap. You can buy a whole CD for less than $2.50. So, by now I'm sure you've guessed the problem--they don't pay anyone for selling their music.

It's currently not illegal in Russia to resell copyrighted music without compensating the artist. Ok, it's under debate if it's 100% legal in Russia and they are trying to pass legislation that would close that loophole. And since it's currently legal in Russia, you can buy it here legally. (ok, this is really treacherous legal water all around, but it's not blatently illegal like Napster)

So, knowing that I probably never would have taken the chance and bought those Van Morrison MP3's from iTunes, is it wrong that I bought them from this Russian site? By the end of my spending-spree yesterday, I'd bought 68 songs and spent less than $10.

P.S. Van Morrison kicks f'in ass!
P.P.S. Don't go to this site unless you are ready to spend money there--it's addictive! I bought 4 CD's there in less than about 5 minutes. The last time I bought 4 CD's at one sitting was in college...

"Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average"

Looks like I'll be taking a quick trip up to Minnesota next month. Never been, but I hear it's cold. I'll have to check and see how far I am from an old friend I haven't seen (or heard from) in quite some time.

Now it's time for a quick dinner of Powdermilk Biscuits and rhubarb pie. (and I better throw in some catchup for good measure)

Dear God, I'm afraid that nobody reading this will have any idea what I'm talking about.

Sieg Heil!

Tired of those damn "cute cat" sites? Looking for something a little more evil? I give you: CatsThatLookLikeHitler.com!

QOTD

"Marriage is not about love. It's about a love that can bear children."
- Todd Akin (R-Missouri) during House debate on a constitutional ban on gay marriage

So, those of you out there without children--you are f'in-up marriage. (and may not be in love) Welcome to the family.

Trogdor!!!

The Trog has picked-up a really annoying habit as of late. Whenever I'm sitting at the computer, he walks up to the side of the chair, lifts himself up, paws ever-so-gently at my arm and whines. (like he wants something) Whenever I look down, he just rubs against the desk and walks off. About 30 seconds later, the whole routine restarts.

Sometimes he wants in my lap, but most of the time he just walks off. It was really cute about the first 10 times, but now it's just driving me crazy. Does he have water? Yes. Food? Yes. Toys? Yes. WTF do you want, cat?!?!

This second, he is sitting on the desk with his ears tweaked towards the speakers--trying to figure out what the hell is playing... (see previous post for answer)

Weekend-ish Updates

Damn. How did I get so far behind on the blog already?

Anyway, the weekend before last, some friends and I went kayaking down in Galveston. Definately a good time, but man, that's some serious work. And if I haven't already, I should give mad props to Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Lotion with Sunscreen. (the stuff in the brown bottle) Yes, it's only rated as SPF 4, but I've seen it work better than some shitty "SPF 60+ Max Anti-Nuclear Blast Burn" crap. Seriously--I've put some of this on and sat by the pool for hours and never even got red. Awesome stuff.

In other news, I have to confess how un-cool I am. I have never owned a Metallica CD. Knowing my audience, let me repeat that: I have never owned a Metallica CD. Yes, that may explain many strange things about me, but it's the truth.

That changed this weekend. I learned that they finally joined the rest of the music world and started offering their music on an online store. (iTunes, obviously) I gotta admit that I *have* been missing out on some good rock.

Douglas Adams Quote of the Day

"Her laughter seemed to discharge something in the atmosphere. From somewhere at the back of the crowd a single voice started to sing a tune that would have enabled Paul McCartney, had he written it, to buy the world."

Money Well Spent

From the Wall Street Journal's front page: there's a woman in Hong Kong suing for a partial refund of the $14.5 million she paid for 8 years of unlimited Latin dance instruction...

Man, I got into the wrong business.

Heroes in a half shell!

Admit it. After watching the trailer, you are as excited to see this one as you were the first time around.

Weekends Rule!

I'm so glad 5:00 rolled around today. I was ready to go when I walked back in from lunch. But now that I'm in a cubicle, it wouldn't look good to my employees. (they don't see the after-hours and weekend work I do to make up for it)

I just thought I'd share a fairly typical week for me at the office. (I blurred it so that no potentially confidential information gets posted on the net--not that anything I do is that important, but...) My current task list is at the right. I've got 2 of my 12 or so categories open. Right now, my task list is around 185.

Spam

Sorry, folks, I had to turn on that shitty "Word Verification" feature on my blog. It's been getting comment spam really bad. I still want to hear from everyone, but I don't think you should have to filter through the automated spam.

Work, Work, Work

First, to dismiss a general misunderstanding. (Most) supervisors and managers aren't the lazy bastards that most people think. The general thinking is often that these people stopped working when they got their promotion and just delegate all of their work. Let me say that is very rarely true. At least from what I've seen (and am experiencing), most people in any sort of management have about twice the work that their direct-reports have and spend many more hours doing that work. (regardless of how infrequently they are in their office) The problem seems to be that management does a lot of work that doesn't have as tangible of results as their direct-reports. Therefore, the assumption is that they don't do much anything.

I've been getting more and more behind at work. Between that and my boss consistently riding my ass, it's been a very stressful last month or so. It got to the point last week that I said "if I have another shitty day, I'm quitting." Hey, I'm fairly employable, and I wouldn't mind getting out of the oil business. Right now, I probably won't quit anytime soon, but I think that within the next year or two I'll be looking for another job.

So, in an attempt to try and catch-up, I headed to the coffee shop relatively early today. I love my task list--I've already said that it keeps track of everything I need to do. (work and personal) However, lately, instead of hovering around 100 "to-do's", it's swelled to about 150. No matter how much I work, I can't seem to get it down any. I thought that a day away from the office and house would help. I've got quite a bit of lingering work done today, but 2 lattes later I'm up to 185. Damnit.

BTW: There's a fairly cute gay guy sitting across from me that I've been tempted to flirt with. That's until he spent the last 30 minutes on his cell phone and I got an involuntary glimpse into the drama that is his life and friends. [sigh] Where are all the normal guys?

Mongo Sad

No, I haven't given up on the blog already. My Internet connection at the house has been down since Friday. Stupid technology.

I had to get some stuff done, so I'm at a local coffee shop with all the high school kids.

Why Not

(to Candice)

1. What time did you get up this morning?
6 AM as always. (even on weekends unless I was out late or drinking heavily—or both)

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds. They can be used in all sorts of engi-nerd ways.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Superman. (Suck it, C!)

4. What is your favorite TV show?
The Daily Show, Globe Trekker

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Non-fat, no-whip mocha from Starbucks if I’m lazy. Non-fat, no-whip mocha from home if I’m awake enough and a bagel. If I’m really awake, it’s a high-protein, all-natural fruit shake.

6. What is your middle name?
Michael. Get it? BMW. (yeah, it’s just a coincidence)

7. Favorite cuisine?
Anything I can eat, get up from the table and feel like running 4 miles. Heavy food = teh suk.

8. What foods don't you like?
How can people eat fish? It tastes rotten!

9. What is your favorite chip flavor?
Sour cream & onion

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Sad, but the only thing that comes to mind is the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack. Yeah, I’m a big homo. I just don’t buy full CD’s now that I’ve got iTunes. I bought the new Dixie Chicks CD, but I don’t see the big deal. It’s ok, but not that phenomenal.

11. What kind of car do you drive?
Altima. 3 more payments, bitch!

12. Favorite sandwich?
There’s a greasy spoon in El Reno that produces the best burger on the planet. I should be shot for not remember its name. (it is on the tip of my tongue) That burger has helped me through many a hangover.

13. What characteristics do you despise?
Being an asshole.

14. Favorite item of clothing ?
Currently owned? Ok, well there’s this Polo t-shirt that almost makes me look “cute”.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Extended tour of Europe.

16. What color is your bathroom?
Some stupid wallpaper. It needs to go.

17. Favorite brand of clothing?
Polo for practical at-work casual. Banana Republic if I’m hoping to bump into a potential date.

18. Where would you retire to?
Right now, a small costal town in the UK.

19. What was your most memorable birthday?
My 23rd. (for reasons I won’t get into here)

20. Favorite sport to watch?
Sports? Sorry, I fit that stereotype.

21. Furthest place you are sending this?
Distance is irrelevant.

22. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?
Abraham Lincoln

23. Person you expect to send it back first?
Abraham Lincoln (he’s always fucking with me)

24. Goal you have for yourself?
Get in better shape.

25. When is your birthday?
Feb 23.

26. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning. If I could wake up 2 hours before dawn, I’d be perfectly happy.

27. What is your shoe size?
9 1/2

28. Pets:
1 cat.

29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
Nothing except what’s on the blog, I think.

30. What did you want to be when you were a little boy/girl?
The earliest thing I remember is wanting to be an Architect. That came from my dad, and I was like 12 at the time. Don’t remember before that.

31. How are you today?
Happy because I accomplished something really cool at work today.

32. What is your favorite candy?
Um. I don’t like candy.

33. What is your favorite flower?
“Favorite candy”? “Favorite flower”? If you want to ask me out, just say so.

34. What is your hair color now?
Light brown—almost blonde. The red is gone.

35. W hat is the last book you read?
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

Good News / Bad News

Well, I got some good news from a doctor today. Seems like something I thought might be a big deal turned out to be something trivial. Man, the suspense has been killing me.

On the other side of the coin, we are moving offices at the end of the month. They are taking away my office. Suck. Major fucking suck. And not only will they be imprisoning me in a cubicle--it's a "4-way". That's where some genius discovered that you can fit more people per square foot if you make the cubicles a little larger and then put one person in each corner. I want to kick that guy in the nuts.

So, I've been bitching non-stop to my boss about this. The best he's been able to come up with is to let me and some other people telecommute part time. That might not be so bad. Hey, it's the only time outside of a nightclub where I can get paid while just in my underwear.

Maybe life isn't too bad.

Suggested Reading

Today, I am suggesting you read you read USA Today's Religion Op-ed page. (two things I usually don't read)

It's a short essay by Barack Obama (D-Illinois) entitled "Politicians need not abandon religion." It is an excellent example of how religion can (and, arguably should) influence politics, but can be done without going to the extreme right or alienating the "average Joe."

"It's a series of tubes"

While debating the Network Neutrality bill on the floor of the Senate, one of my favorite politicians, Senator Ted "$230M Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens (R-Alaska) gave the audience a quick primer on how the Internet works. I wish that when I was first learning about the Internet, someone had explained it to me this way. (I'd still be flipping burgers)

Enjoy.

"There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.

But this service is now going to go through the internet and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.

Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?

I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?

Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.

So you want to talk about the consumer? Let's talk about you and me. We use this internet to communicate and we aren't using it for commercial purposes.

We aren't earning anything by going on that internet. Now I'm not saying you have to or you want to discrimnate against those people.

The regulatory approach is wrong. Your approach is regulatory in the sense that it says "No one can charge anyone for massively invading this world of the internet". No, I'm not finished. I want people to understand my position, I'm not going to take a lot of time.

They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

It's a series of tubes.

And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.

Now we have a separate Department of Defense internet now, did you know that?

Do you know why?

Because they have to have theirs delivered immediately. They can't afford getting delayed by other people.

Now I think these people are arguing whether they should be able to dump all that stuff on the internet ought to consider if they should develop a system themselves.

Maybe there is a place for a commercial net but it's not using what consumers use every day.

It's not using the messaging service that is essential to small businesses, to our operation of families.

The whole concept is that we should not go into this until someone shows that there is something that has been done that really is a viloation of net neutraility that hits you and me."

(thanks to Salon.com for the partial transcript)

Gadget Freak

Ok, you all know that I'm a deep geek and I love my gadgets. Here's the newest one: the HTC Wizard from Cingular. Yes, it's a phone, but it also runs a mini version of Windows. (no blue screens tho--it just locks up when it gets pissed)

My main motivation was this: my task list (or "to-do" list) is where I spend much of my waking hours. When I think of something I need to look up, it goes on the task list. When I hear about a cool movie on the radio, it goes on the task list to see if it's playing nearby. The problem is, my task list was on my laptop. I seem to never have my laptop around when I think of something I need to do.

So, the 8125 takes care of this. It keeps my task list sync'd with my PC when it's in range (via Bluetooth), so I always have everything with me. It's handy when I'm out running around, and I can just stop in the grocery store on the way home because I've always got my shopping list. Or if I think of something I need when I'm sitting in traffic on the way to the office, it has that nifty built-in keyboard for me to punch it in.

Some of the other cool stuff it does:
- Wi-fi access : If I'm in range of a wireless network, I can hop on and surf the Internet
- Cellular Internet : If I'm not in range of a wireless network, I can still get on the Internet almost anywhere I get cell signal. For example, when I was in a grocery store in Scotland, I jumped on Froogle to verify that the price I was seeing on a bottle of really good whisky was as good of a deal as I thought. (it was)
- Can check any POP3 email account : It automatically checks my Gmail account. Like when you post comments on my blog, my phone gets that email about 5 minutes later. And it's a full email client--I can send/recieve email, compose email, etc... (and like when Amazon is sending a FedEx package, FedEx sends me an email when it's delivered, so my phone buzzes me if I'm at work and am not home to recieve it)
- It keeps my full contact list : Ever stuck somewhere and you need to call someone, but you don't have that # in your cell phone? Never a problem here.

Yeah, I can go on and on. It's a bit of a brick, but it's still small enough that I keep it in my pocket. I know it's not slim and sleek, but it's f'in handy when you are sitting at dinner with a friend and they tell you about this book you have to read, and you don't want to forget. Or like the other day when I was almost to someone's house for a party and got lost. I just pulled up his address in my contact list and then went to Mobile Google Maps to get directions.

And probably the coolest future feature is that since it's running Windows Mobile, I can write any software I want for that phone.

Zombie Zoo

Ever have one of those nights where you just can't sleep? I tossed and turned in bed and on the couch for over 3 hours before I just jumped in the shower and headed to the office. At least I should get a lot of work done before it finally hits and I fall asleep on my keyboard.

STS-121 Liftoff!!!

In the days before I was even born, the name "NASA" evoked images of what was best about America. It embodied everything about a group of the smartest damn people on the planet in a non-military contest with another country using the best of American ingenuity. It was the greatest of endeavours that everyone was behind.

These days, Shuttle launches barely make 2 minutes of the nightly news. Not for me. I don't care where I am or what I'm doing, I always make sure that I watch launches and landings live. Every time I see it, I still get chills up my spine. To me, the space race is still going strong. But instead of racing against the Russians, we are racing against ourselves. We still have so much to learn, and I hope we get to continue to reach for those things not yet discovered.

What?

(you might start reading from the bottom of the post list...)

Oops, Sorry 'Bout That

"As you all very well know, marriage is under vicious attack now, I think from the forces of hell itself. And...I believe that with that descrution of marriage will come the decline of Western civilization itself."

- Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson during his daily radio show, Family News in Focus, May 30


Mom always warned me not to end Western civilization

"Funny, But No"

For those of you that still don't listen to NPR, what's wrong with you?

The other day, they had an interview with 2 greeting card writers from Shoebox. I laughed so hard at parts that I almost had to pull the car over. My favorite:

The Other Ex

One thing that my last ex taught me was that it is possible to be friends with an ex. I had always feared that it wasn't possible with all of the lingering emotions, but it's worked out well for us.

So, with that in mind, I decided that it was time to look up my ex in Tulsa. When I left 3 or so years ago, he made me promise that he would get to see me again. I know that it really hurt him when I left, but I hoped that after 3 years, time would have healed those wounds and we would be able to talk.

Cooincidentally, I had to make a last-minute trip to Oklahoma for a funeral. So, I extended the trip for a couple of days and made my way to Tulsa. It took a while, but I was able to track him down and we spent about 6-7 hours catching up with our respective lives.

Please excuse me if I leave you hanging here a bit, but for those of you I've told this story to, you can attest that continuing on would surely make for uncomfortable (and a bit unbelievable) reading. Let me just sumarize by saying that his life has been lived hard and very different from mine. It was a very strange and eye-opening experience. I returned to Houston wishing that I had just left well enough alone.

The goal of this post is to convey that not all good intentions go as planned. (duh) Some things are best left unknown. In my head, I knew that I should have just left him alone and not tried to re-establish communication, but I just had to try.

The only thing that lets me feel a little good about this is that I got an email from his mom a few days later saying that he started talking to them again and he sounded happier than he had in the past year or two. Maybe this is where the emotional tables got turned, and I was the one burned this time.

Health Woes

You know it wouldn't be my blog without me bitching about my health. It's to the point that I feel like a hypochrondiac. (I would give anything if that was actually the case, tho)

So, the other day, I was at the dermatologist for an unrelated, simple little thing. That's when she noticed something a little "unusual" and got some lab tests done. It turns out that I had a "compound nevus with mild to moderate abnormal cellular activity." In other words, pre-cancerous skin lesions. Fuck me.

So, I got to make a trip to a plastic surgeon to have it cut out. (it was a plastic surgeon because it was on my temple and they were trying to keep me from having a huge scar) He did one hell of a good job. He had to remove a piece of skin about the size of a quarter, and I'll bet the scar is almost un-noticable in a month or two. It didn't even hurt other than a little soreness the next day. (I've got a picture of the stiches, but it might be a little gory for some, so I'll leave it out)

Now I've got another appointment to see the dermatologist the week after next to check some other shit out and probably cut out some other stuff. It sucks, but so far it's been early and benign, so I probably got lucky this time.

Scotland, Redux

A couple of weeks ago, I got my second chance to go to Scotland. This time we (my boss and I) opted to leave in the middle of the week and return in the middle of the next week. Among other things, that optimized the amount of time we had to sight-see during the weekend.

The first night there was a little rough. I had gotten a little cold the day before I left, so I slept about 17-20 hours right before I got on the plane. Therefore, I couldn't get any sleep on the flight over to help offset the jet lag caused by a 6-hour time difference. So, by 8 PM the first night, I had already crashed with all of the hotel room lights on, the TV blaring and the curtains open. When my phone rang at 3:30 AM by someone back in the states that didn't know I was overseas, I looked outside and got even more confused. Scotland is far enough north that during certain times of the year, the sun doesn't completely set. The picture you see is how light it still is in the middle of the night this time of the year. It's kinda cool, but it really screws you up.

Our trip coincided with the start of the World Cup. To those of you that don't know or don't care, soccer (or "football" if you are outside of the US) is the only sport anyone cares about. And, man, do they love this shit. Everything stops for the World Cup. Stores shut down. People don't show up for work. (they don't even bother feigning sick--everyone knows better) News coverage turns to 100% soccer. It's a hell of a sight.

The Friday night we were there, some of the guys from the office came by and took us on a classic pub crawl. It was fuckin awesome.

We began by getting a couple of pints at the hotel bar--waiting for everyone to show up. At the end of just those two pints, I was more than a little buzzed. Then we walked to the city center and hit no less than 3 pubs and 1 nightclub. By the end, I think I had as much alcohol that night as I've had in the last couple of years. I was absolutely smashed. I think I crawled into my hotel room sometime after 3 AM. (I don't think they stop serving until 4 AM) The bad thing was that my boss and I were going to leave for sight-seeing at 7 AM that morning. When I got up 3 hours later, I was still really drunk. We had to sleep it off for a while before leaving the hotel. The amazing thing is that I didn't have a hangover! After getting a little food in my stomach, I felt perfectly fine. To this day, I still don't know how that happened. Under any other circumstances, I would have been sick for 2 solid days with as much as I had to drink. Viva la Scotland!

P.S. You can see some of the pictures from this trip at Flickr.

Freshman 15

I know that I'm reaching back a bit here, but back in High School, I was in damn good shape. I played basketball (at 5' 11" tall, I could dunk) and ran track during the summer. While you wouldn't have called me "buff", there wasn't an ounce of body fat to be found.

Then came college. Freedom. No parents, no rules. Lots of Mt. Dew and cheap pizza. I stopped doing any sort of physical activity that didn't involve wrestling the espresso machine away from my roommate. (those were the days) That lifestyle gave me the Freshman 15.

Since that fateful year, I've continued to add to that 15 pounds. In my estimation, slowly grew up to about 20-25 pounds over the years. A couple of months ago (just after I broke up with G), I decided that it had to go. I wanted the 6-pack abs back. So I went on a diet.

Now, I've never been much for paying attention to what I eat, so this was new. I got some sage advice from our favorite bald guy in Tulsa, and he recommended simple calorie restriction. He might have given other, more useful advice, but that simple concept is the one that I focused on.

Not being the patient type, I decided to go full-force. I counted every calorie. I ate several small meals (snacks, really) a day. I rode my bike every day after work. Everthing I could think of to sustain myself on the lowest number of calories I could. I didn't really add up my daily intake, but, looking back, I think there were many days that I lived on much less than 1000 calories.

Yes, that was extreme and probably not healthy, but after 6 weeks, I had lost 15 pounds and stopped. (plus, that extreme of a diet was taking a real toll on my energy levels by then)

Now the plan is to get in better shape and replace what fat is left with muscle. I've still got a long way to go to get the 6-pack back, but at least my stomach is flat for the first time in over a decade...

Amore

Well, there's no way I can start off blogging about the last several months without mentioning the ex. Since anonymity on the Internet is like a low-key Jerry Bruckheimer film (it doesn't really exist), I'll try to respect his privacy and just refer to him as "G".

The short version goes like this: I really liked him from the first minute I met him. We had a great 6 months together and I wouldn't trade it for anything. We had a lot of fun together and I learned a lot about myself and others around me. I had forgotten how great the beginning of a really good relationship felt and what it was like to fall madly in love with someone.

Of course, in the end, it didn't work out. The last month of the relationship wasn't fun for either of us, but we ended it amiably and still keep in touch. I'll be lucky to end up with someone that I love as much as I loved him. Next time I talk to G, I'll have to make sure I told him how much better a person I am for being with him.

Back for the nth time

The bloop has been suffering much as of late, so I thought I'd see if I could revitalize it a bit. (well, that and it's been a while and a bunch of stuff has happened, and I thought I'd share)

So, sit back and enjoy the quick (or knowing me, not-so-quick) history of what's been happening in my life over the last 7-8 months...

(warning: these posts won't be particuarly long or well thought-out--I'm just trying to catch up)